An Inclusive Early Childhood
Development Program
People-First Language
Language shapes the way those around us speak and act toward one another and conveys the respect we have for others. The use of appropriate language about people with disabilities can be an important tool in building a community that accepts all people.
Appropriate language is both sensitive and accurate. VSA arts promotes the use of “people-first” language—language that puts the focus on the individual, rather than on a disability. “People-first” language helps us remember that people are unique individuals and that their abilities or disabilities are only part of who they are.
| Affirmative Phrase | Negative Phrase |
| Person with a disability | The disabled; handicapped; crippled; suffers from a disability |
| Person who is blind; Person with a visual impairment; Person who has low vision |
The blind |
| Person who is deaf; Person with a hearing impairment; Person who is hard of hearing |
The deaf; deaf and dumb; suffers a hearing loss |
| Person with mental illness Person with mental retardation; |
Crazy; psycho; lunatic Retarded; mentally defective |
| Person who uses a wheelchair |
Confined or restricted to a
wheelchair; wheelchair-bound
|
| Person with a physical disability; Person with a mobility impairment |
Cripple; lame; handicapped; deformed |
Suggestions to Improve Access and Positive Interactions
Avoid placing people with disabilities in groups that label, such as “the disabled,” “the handicapped” and “ the physically challenged.”
Avoid euphemisms, such as “physically challenged,” “special needs,” “differently abled” and “handi-capable.” Many disability groups object to these phrases because they are considered condescending and reinforce the idea that disabilities cannot be spoken of in an straightforward and direct manner.
Refer to people with disabilities as you would anyone else. Do not sensationalize or dramatize a disability by using terms such as “afflicted with,” “suffers from,” “deformed” or “crippled with.” Do not “super-humanize” successful people who have disabilities just because they have a disability. Using expressions such as “overcame great odds” and “triumphed despite being...” are considered offensive and inaccurate to people with disabilities.
When referring to people who use wheelchairs, avoid terms such as “wheelchair-bound” or “confined to a wheelchair.” Wheelchairs do not confine people with disabilities. They provide freedom of movement to assist individuals in traveling throughout the community.
When writing or speaking about people with disabilities, emphasize abilities rather than limitations, focusing on the person’s accomplishments, creative talents, or skills. This does not mean avoiding mention of the person’s disability, but rather mentioning it in a respectful manner, and only when relevant to the situation.
